Editing Dahomey (section)

==History==
{{main|History of the Kingdom of Dahomey|Kings of Dahomey}}
The Kingdom of Dahomey was established around 1600 as an offshoot of the royal dynasty of the [[Kingdom of Allada]]. The foundational king for Dahomey is often considered to be [[Houegbadja]] (c. 1645–1685), who built the [[Royal Palaces of Abomey]] and began raiding and taking over towns outside of the Abomey Plateau.<ref name=Bay-1998 /><ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Shillington |first=Kevin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=umyHqvAErOAC&q=historiography |title=Encyclopedia of African History 3-Volume Set |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-45670-2 |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=29}}

=== Kings ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!King
!Start of rule
!End of rule
|-
|[[Do-Aklin|Do-Aklin (Ganyihessou)]]
|≈1600
|1620
|-
|[[Dakodonou]]
|1620
|1645
|-
|[[Houegbadja|Houégbadja]]
|1645
|1680
|-
|[[Akaba of Dahomey|Akaba]]
|1680
|1708
|-
|[[Agaja]]
|1708
|1740
|-
|[[Tegbessou|Tegbessou (Tegbesu)]]
|1740
|1774
|-
|[[Kpengla]]
|1774
|1789
|-
|[[Agonglo]]
|1790
|1797
|-
|[[Adandozan]]
|1797
|1818
|-
|[[Ghezo|Guézo (Ghézo/Gezo)]]
|1818
|1858
|-
|[[Glèlè]]
|1858
|1889
|-
|[[Béhanzin|Gbehanzin]]
|1889
|1894
|-
|[[Agoli-agbo]]
|1894
|1900
|}

Source:<ref>{{Cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of Benin|publisher=The Scarecrow Press, Inc.|year=2013|isbn=978-0-8108-7373-5|editor-last=Houngnikpo|editor-first=Mathurin C.|pages=131|editor-last2=Decalo|editor-first2=Samuel}}</ref>

[[File:Victims for sacrifice-1793.jpg|thumb|250px|"Victims for sacrifice" – from ''[[Archibald Dalzel|The history of Dahomy, an inland Kingdom of Africa]]'', 1793]]

===Rule of Agaja (1708–1740)===
[[Agaja|King Agaja]], Houegbadja's grandson, came to the throne in 1708 and began significant expansion of the Kingdom of Dahomey. This expansion was made possible by the superior military force of King Agaja's Dahomey. In contrast to surrounding regions, Dahomey employed a professional standing army numbering around ten thousand.<ref name=Harms>{{Cite book|title = The Diligent|last = Harms|first = Robert|publisher = Basic Books|year = 2002|isbn = 0-465-02872-1|location = New York|pages = 172}}</ref> What the Dahomey lacked in numbers, they made up for in discipline and superior arms. In 1724, Agaja conquered [[Allada]], the origin for the royal family according to oral tradition, and in 1727 he conquered [[Kingdom of Whydah|Whydah]]. This increased size of the kingdom, particularly along the Atlantic coast, and increased power made Dahomey into a regional power. The result was near constant warfare with the main regional state, the [[Oyo Empire]], from 1728 until 1740.<ref name=Alpern>{{cite journal|last=Alpern|first=Stanley B.|title=On the Origins of the Amazons of Dahomey|journal=History in Africa|year=1998|volume=25|pages=9–25|doi=10.2307/3172178|jstor=3172178|s2cid=162412301 }}</ref>  The warfare with the Oyo empire resulted in Dahomey assuming a [[Tributary state|tributary]] status to the Oyo empire.<ref name=Law-1986 />

===Rule of Tegbesu (1740–1774)===
Tegbesu, also spelled as Tegbessou, was King of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, from 1740 until 1774. Tegbesu was not the oldest son of King Agaja (1708–1740), but was selected following his father's death after winning a succession struggle with a brother. King Agaja had significantly expanded the Kingdom of Dahomey during his reign, notably conquering Whydah in 1727. This increased the size of the kingdom and increased both domestic dissent and regional opposition. Tegbessou ruled over Dahomey at a point where it needed to increase its legitimacy over those whom it had recently conquered. As a result, Tegbesu is often credited with a number of administrative changes in the kingdom in order to establish the legitimacy of the kingdom. 

The slave trade increased significantly during Tegbessou's reign and began to provide the largest part of the income for the king. In addition, Tegbesu's rule is the one with the first significant ''[[kpojito]]'' or mother of the leopard with Hwanjile in that role. The ''kpojito'' became a prominently important person in Dahomey royalty. Hwanjile, in particular, is said to have changed dramatically the religious practices of Dahomey by creating two new deities and more closely tying worship to that of the king.  According to one oral tradition, as part of the tribute owed by Dahomey to Oyo, Agaja had to give to Oyo one of his sons. The story claims that only Hwanjile, of all of Agaja's wives, was willing to allow her son to go to Oyo. This act of sacrifice, according to the oral tradition, made Tegbesu favored by King Agaja. Agaja reportedly told Tegbesu that he was the future king, but his brother Zinga was still the official heir.<ref name=Bay-1998 />

=== Rule of Ghezo (1818–1859) ===
When [[Ghezo|King Ghezo]] ascended the throne in 1818, he was confronted by two immediate obstacles: the Kingdom of Dahomey was in political turmoil, and it was financially unstable.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Adeyinka |first=Augustus A. |year=1974 |title=King Gezo of Dahomey, 1818-1858: A Reassessment of a West African Monarch in the Nineteenth Century |journal=African Studies Review |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=541–548|doi=10.2307/523800 |jstor=523800 |s2cid=144269135 }}</ref> First, he needed to gain political independence by removing the [[Tributary state|tributary]] yoke that the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] empire of [[Oyo Empire|Oyo]] had over the Dahomey since 1748. Secondly, he needed to revitalize the Dahomey economy.<ref name=":1" /> Both of these objectives relied on the slave trade. King Ghezo implemented new military strategies, which allowed them to take a physical stand against the Oyo, who were also a major competitor in the slave trade. He also put stipulations on Dahomey's participation in the slave trade. Under his reign, no longer would the Dahomey be traded, as they were under the leadership of his brother, [[Adandozan]].<ref name=":1" /> Dahomey would focus on capturing their enemies and trading them instead. King Ghezo sought to eventually lead his people toward the "legitimate" trade of palm oil.<ref name=":1" />

The Dahomey were soon met with victory when they brought down the Oyo Empire and its yoke at Paonignan in 1827. While [[Empire of Brazil|Brazil]]'s demand for [[Slavery in Brazil|slaves]] increased in 1830, the British started a campaign to [[Abolitionism|abolish]] the slave trade in Africa. The British government began putting significant pressure on King Ghezo in the 1840s to end the slave trade in Dahomey. King Ghezo responded to these requests by emphasizing that he was unable to end the slave trade because of domestic pressure. He explained to them that the entire region had become dependent on the slave trading, so ending immediately would destabilize his kingdom and lead to anarchy. King William Dappa Pepple of [[Kingdom of Bonny|Bonny]] and [[Kosoko|King Kosoko]] of [[Oba of Lagos|Lagos]] took the same stance toward the British requests. Instead, King Ghezo proposed an expansion of the [[palm oil]] trade and gradual abolition of the slave trade.<ref name=":1" />

King Ghezo's reign was marked by great battles and significant changes to the empire, including the elevation of the [[Dahomey Amazons|Agojie]]. These "Dahomey Amazon" were pivotal to the defeat of Oyo Empire. His reign also cemented the Kingdom of Dahomey as one of the most powerful African kingdoms that stood against attempts by European missionaries, with [[Egba people|Egba]] support, at converting people to Christianity, and maintained their [[Traditional African religions|traditional religion]], known as [[West African Vodun|Vodun]]. He abolished the human sacrifice of slaves and removed the death penalty for certain lesser offenses, such as adultery. Despite the kingdom's history of brutality, King Ghezo was often characterized as honorable and unconquerable, even by his enemies. British missionary [[Thomas Birch Freeman]] described him as "one of the most remarkable men of his age, whether we consider him in his private capacity as a man, or as a warrior and a statesmen."<ref name=":1" />

===End===
[[File:Scramble-for-Africa-1880-1913-v2.png|thumb|350px|Comparison of Africa in the years 1880 and 1913]]
The kingdom fought the [[First Franco-Dahomean War]] and [[Second Franco-Dahomean War]] with France. The kingdom was reduced and made a French [[protectorate]] in 1894.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.2307/1157517 | volume=29 | title=A Note on the Abomey Protectorate | journal=Africa | pages=146–155| jstor=1157517 | last1=Newbury | first1=C. W. | year=1959 | issue=2 | s2cid=145105979 }}</ref>

In 1904, the area became part of a French colony, [[French Dahomey]].

In 1958, French Dahomey became the self-governing colony called the [[Republic of Dahomey]] and gained full independence in 1960. It was renamed in 1975 the [[People's Republic of Benin]] and in 1991 the [[Republic of Benin]].

=== Modernity ===
Today, the kingdom continues to exist as a [[constituent monarchy]] located within Benin. Its rulers no longer hold any official powers under Benin's constitution, but they retain some political and economic influence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 3, 2018 |title=Ancestral king of Dahomey married to 41 wives dies at 84 |url=https://punchng.com/ancestral-king-of-dahomey-married-to-41-wives-dies-at-84/ |access-date=September 1, 2022 |website=Punch Newspapers |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 23, 2021 |title=Benin mourns death of ancient kingdom's monarch |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/benin-mourns-death-of-ancient-kingdom-s-monarch |access-date=September 1, 2022 |website=RFI |language=en}}</ref> Modern kings participate in important [[West African Vodun|Vodun]] religious festivals and other traditional ceremonies.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 5, 2018 |title=Le roi d'Abomey a tiré sa révérence |language=fr |work=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/07/05/le-roi-d-abomey-a-tire-sa-reverence_5326546_3212.html |access-date=September 1, 2022}}</ref>